The Dallas Komen Race for the Cure will celebrate its 30th anniversary Saturday at NorthPark Center. The race has remained focused on its mission to raise awareness and funds to fight breast cancer with an emphasis on supporting local community needs.

The “race” in Race for the Cure also has stayed strong. There’s no longer an all-women’s national series, but the Dallas event still attracts the area’s best runners. In recent years, Luke’s Locker and New Balance have honored local elites to enhance the race’s competitiveness.

“Komen made the race special in that it was a competitive running event with great awards, however it was all about raising money for the cause,” recalled five-time U.S. Olympian Francie Larrieu Smith, who served as the National Honorary Chair of the event for several years.

Race officials anticipate 22,000 participants, the majority walking untimed in the 5K or the 1-mile fun run. Most are drawn by the cause, said Jennifer Legere, executive director of Komen Dallas County.

When the race began in the early 1980s, Smith and other Olympic-caliber athletes were here training with coach Robert Vaughan. They raced in what was then an all-women’s race, recalled Smith, who won it in course-record times in 1989 and 1990.

Two-time defending champion Logan Sherman of Dallas is expected to be the runner to beat again. He says he has leg speed despite training for the Dec. 9 Dallas Marathon and logging as many as 120 miles some weeks. Enoch Nadler and Barnabas Kirui will be among his challengers.

Several women will be trying to derail the attempt at a third title by Melissa Cook of Flower Mound. They include: Dallas’ Dawn Grunnagle, Austin’s Diana Pickler, Murphy’s Becky Angeles and Plano’s Lyndsy Bedell. Defending champion D’Ann Arthur of Dallas has a stress fracture and can’t race. Dallas’ Melisa Christian will participate but not race, she said, because she finished Saturday’s Ironman World Championships in Kona and needs recovery time.

Briefly: William Huffman of Colleyville will represent USA Triathlon in the ITU World Triathlon Series Grand in Auckland, New Zealand. He’s one of three Americans competing in the Junior Elite Men’s race, which serves as the junior world championships. It starts at 4 p.m. Sunday in Auckland, which is 10 p.m. Saturday in Dallas. Crowley’s Jennifer Clark will be racing in Monday’s Para-triathlon. … Volkswagen is giving away 150 spots into the Dec. 9 MetroPCS Dallas Marathon and Half Marathon. Those interested should tweet why they run to #TeamVW to be entered to win. … Kolin Styles, the Cowtown Marathon winner, is expected to be among the favorites at the Oct. 27 “No Limits” Half Marathon at the Texas Motor Speedway. … Runners can race twice Saturday, Oct. 27 in Plano. The Plano Pacers’ Boo Scoot 5K/10K will be at 8 a.m. at Bob Woodruff Park. The Parks Department’s Haunt Jaunt 5K will be at 7:30 p.m. at the Oak Point Park and Nature Preserve. Each event will have its own awards. Officials will also present “Two Timers” awards to those who finish both.

IRONMAN HIGHLIGHTS

Frisco’s Ron Tribendis, 34, had the fastest finish among area participants at Saturday’s Ironman World Championship in Kona. He finished the grueling 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike and 26.2-mile run in 9 hours, 52 minutes, 48 seconds. That placed him 68th in his age group. Other area finishers by time, with age-group finish:

Runner

Hometown

Age

Time

Pl

Patrick Schuster

Arlington

40

10:36:04

123

Steven Mudgett

Richardson

55

10:37:46

6

Melisa Christian

Dallas

36

11:14:20

35

Della Irby

Lewisville

50

12:11:36

17

Earl Weeks

Allen

43

13:11:06

220

Laurie Lukanich

Grapevine

53

13:57:41

45

Marc Warner

Keller

45

14:59:05

211

Randy Work, 45, was listed as being from Dallas in the results, but he lives in London. Work who last lived in Dallas in 1998, finished seventh in his age group in 9:42:37.

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